I just read an interesting study/teacher inquiry entitled Collaborative Blogging as a Means to Develop Elementary Expository Writing by Wendy Drexler, Kara Dawson, and Rick Ferdig. It examines the effects of collaborative blogging between third graders and pre-service teachers, focusing specifically on students’ motivation and attitudes towards writing and their quality of writing. Eighteen third graders from a large, independent, preparatory school in Central Florida participated in the nine-week study. All of the students had access to computers in school and at home, although most of the blogging activities were completed in the school’s computer lab.
During the study, pre-service teachers provided the third graders with research assistance and feedback to help them complete a five-paragraph essay and online presentation on a Native American tribe. Students posted an initial blog identifying the Indian tribe they had selected for their project and asking for assistance with the research. The pre-service teachers responded by providing suggested sites that were age-appropriate for students to conduct their research. As the students read through the sites, they completed a fact-collecting sheet where they jotted down any information they found interesting about their tribe. Once the initial research was completed, students sought further assistance in locating information regarding specific areas related to their topic (i.e. clothing, food, etc.). Then students organized the information they had gathered into concept maps created on Inspiration. These maps were posted on the blog so that the pre-service teachers could review and comment on them. After that, students began writing their five-paragraph essay on the blog, focusing on one paragraph at a time. After all the editing was done, the students transferred their five-paragraph essay into an online presentation on MediaBlender.
The following outcomes were identified in the data analysis of the study:
- Collaborative blogging helped improve students’ attitudes towards writing.
- Students were motivated to write. Feedback rather than technology use was the primary motivator.
- Collaborative blogging improved students’ writing and helped develop related skills and knowledge.
- Students transferred knowledge they had gathered to other academic and social aspects of the classroom.
- Students’ technology skills improved even though formal technology training was not provided.
- Students developed visual literacy skills as they turned their five-paragraph essay into an online presentation.
- Collaborative blogging allowed for differentiated instruction.
While the findings of this study support what I have read thus far about blogging, I found the challenges that were encountered during the study and later identified and described to be especially valuable because I am likely to encounter much of the same when I introduce blogging to my third graders. The following are some of the challenges that I will need to consider:
- Students' keyboarding skills (How well can students type? How will poor typing affect blog writing and project pacing?)
- Project pacing (How long will the project take? What happens when students are absent?)
- Comment frequency (How often will comments be made?)
- Transference (Will students be able to transfer what they have learned to other content areas?)
I wonder what would happen if I created a collaborative blogging project where my eighth graders (similar to the pre-service teachers in this study) would comment on my third graders' writing. Hmmm...
Drexler, W., Dawson, K., & Ferdig, R. Collaborative blogging as a means to develop elementary expository writing. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 6, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://blogs.wsd1.org/harrow/files/collaborative-blogging-drexler.pdf.
2 comments:
I found this study to be interesting. Although, I did wonder why the graphic organizers and final products were posted on the classroom website instead of being embedded on the students' blogs.
Students' keyboarding skills was one problem I struggled with when I intern in a fourth grade classroom. It seemed as though keyboarding was a fill-in time activity; however, it is important if you are going to have students frequently writing and creating on the computer.
Although this study focused on third graders, the blogging activity could be used in college preparatory classes. Our focus is on teaching the writing process and students must write a coherent, logical five paragraph essay as part of the state exit exam. Incorporating a writing blog using the criteria set forth in the study would facilitate the learning process in prep courses as well. I like the idea of partnering the students with others who have greater expertise/competency in the specific area. The project could be a literary analysis blog and my students could be partnered with students in American Lit.
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